Big Day?

Back in August I contacted the hospital to see about volunteering.  Per instructions, I went online, read all the material, completed an application and took a required test.  I heard nothing.  Naturally, I assumed I had been rejected and decided it just wasn’t meant to be.  In fact, I made initial contact with another agency that could use bilingual volunteers.  You know what’s coming, right?

Last week I received a call from the director of volunteers, the one with whom I had originally spoken and who had told me how to initiate the process online.  Was I still interested?  I should have received a call within a week but somehow the computer system had not worked as it should.  In fact, they could not find the test I took.  A tech person should be able to retrieve it, not to worry.  Bottom line, I go today at 1:00 for an interview.

When I first spoke with the woman weeks ago she had asked where I might be interested in helping out.  The Betty H Cameron Women’s and Children’s Hospital.   Why, she wanted to know.  I explained that I wanted to work with children and/or families whose children/babies were there.  I didn’t care if I carried coffee, brought them a blanket, whatever.  I wanted to do that because we had lost our little granddaughter Natalia there and I would know how people might be feeling. 

She immediately wanted to know how long ago this had been.  Four years.  Her surprising response?  If it has only been four years there are going to be things you are not yet ready for.  She went on to say that she had lost a daughter 7 years ago; that people who have not been through that kind of loss do not understand.  Seven years and every day you miss your child; every day you carry on but you are thinking about and missing your child.  She repeated that I might not be ready for the very things with which I wanted to help; that in addition to living it, she had seen it a few times in her position as director of the volunteers.  We would have to see; we would discuss it further at an interview.  I found that was okay with me.  Somehow I found that reassuring.

I do not know if I will be told today if I am accepted, but I am anxious to find out.  At the same time I am afraid to hope.  The nice thing is that my friend Lynette and I are taking Naazneen to the beach tonight to celebrate her birthday.  So, regardless of how it goes, I will have something to look forward to and will be with friends.  That’s always a good thing, right?